FROM   THE   LIBRARY   OF 
REV.    LOUIS    FITZGERALD    BENSON,   D.  D. 

BEQUEATHED    BY   HIM   TO 

THE   LIBRARY  OF 

PRINCETON   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY 


<?5W 


Division    Y~ 

44 
Section     n  T' 


J  <x  cn,i  d      T^vul^ 


/  c^ 


4 


7VU<^  ^     /<pj  £ 


LITERARY 

AND 

3L0GICAL  REVIEW. 


NO.  IX.— MARCH,  1836. 


Art.  V.     Sacred  Music. 

* V 

By  Rev.  John  A.  Albro,    Cambridge,   Mass. 

1.  The  Boston  Handel   and  Haydn  Society's  Collection  of  Music  ;  edited  by 
Lowell  Mason. 

2.  The  Choir,  or  Union  Collection  of  Church  Music,  by  Lowell  Mason. 

3.  The  Boston  Collection  of  Anthems,  Choruses,  &c,  by  Lowell  Mason,  and 
George  J.  Webb. 

4.  The  Boston  Adademy's   Collection  of  Church  Music,  published  under  the 
direction  of  the  Boston  Academy  of  Music. 

5.  The  Ancient  Lyre,  by  Charles  Zeuner. 

The  publications  indicated  at  the  head  of  this  article,  have 
followed  each  other  in  quick  succession,  and  have  met  with  a 
rapid  and  extensive  sale.  They  are,  in  many  respects, 
worthy  of  the  patronage  they  have  received.  In  publishing 
them,  the  accomplished  and  indefatigable  editors  have  ren- 
dered to  the  church  of  Christ  a  service,  for  which  they  merit 
our  warmest  thanks.  We  heartily  wrish  them  success  in 
the  great  and  necessary  work  in  wThich  they  are  engaged. 

It  is  not  our  intention  to  discuss  the  merits  of  the  books 
referred  to ;  we  leave  that  task  to  those  more  deeply  skilled 
in  the  science  of  which  the  editors  are  so  able  professors. 
Our  object,  at  this  time,  is  to  consider  what  place  Sacred 
Music  should  occupy  among  our  serious  pursuits,  and  the 
degree  of  attention  which  it  justly  demands  of  Christians. 
We  are  induced  to  hazard  a  few  remarks  upon  this  subject, 
not  only  by  its  obvious  importance,  but  by  a  conviction  that  it 
has  not  been,  and  is  not  now  generally  regarded  in  its  true  light. 
Every  one,  at  all  acquainted  with  the  history  of  our  churches, 
knows  that  Sacred  Music,  although  it  has  always  constituted  a 


1836.]  SACRED   MUSIC.  67 

part  of  our  public  and  social  worship,  has,  nevertheless,  held 
but  a  low  rank  among  us.  If  it  has  found  a  place  in  the  Tem- 
ple, it  has  been  practically  regarded,  rather  as  an  alien,  than 
a  daughter  of  Zion.  Its  rank  is  that  of  a  slave.  It  is  tole- 
rated, but  not  loved  and  honoured.  We  have  often  been 
compelled  to  mourn  over  its  degradation  among  the  friends, 
and  its  deep  disgrace  among  the  foes  of  Zion  ;  when,  like 
Sampson,  shorn  of  its  strength,  fettered  and  blind,  it  has  been 
brought  out  on  solemn  occasions  to  make  sport  for  the  Phi- 
listines. Secular  Music  has  been  most  assiduously  cultiva- 
ted, and  brought  to  a  wonderful  degree  of  perfection.  In 
the  theatre,  the  ball-room,  and  in  the  concert-room,  you  may 
hear  strains,  that  will  "  take  the  tranced  soul  and  lap  it  in 
elysium."  But  Church  music — the  very  name  has  almost  be- 
come a  proverb  and  a  by-word.  The  time  has  been — a 
better  day,  we  trust,  is  dawning — when  professed  attach- 
ment to  this  degraded  and  neglected  science  was,  to  say  the 
least,  of  no  advantage  to  a  man's  reputation.  We  remem- 
ber more  than  one  work  of  fiction,  in  which  the  most  ridicu- 
lous and  worthless  character,  was  a  "  singing  master,"  with 
his  pitch-pipe.  Of  so  little  worth  or  dignity  has  Sacred 
Music  been  deemed,  even  by  Christians,  that  a  little  more 
than  ordinary  skill  in  it,  has  been  supposed  to  indicate  in 
the  unfortunate  singer,  a  mental  or  moral  disqualifica- 
tion for  higher  and  more  valuable  pursuits.  The  religious 
community,  with  strange  infatuation,  first  exiled  this  child 
of  God,  and  then  looked  with  suspicion,  and  almost  con- 
tempt, upon  those  who  loved  and  protected  her.  Many 
ministers  of  the  Gospel,  have,  therefore,  felt  it  to  be  their 
duty,  earnestly  to  disclaim  all  acquaintance  with  such  an 
outcast,  and  others  confess  their  interest  in  her  welfare 
with  much  misgiving  and  many  qualifications.  The  result 
has  been,  that  this  part  of  Divine  service,  which  both  minis- 
ters and  people  acknowledge  to  be  indispensable,  has,  to  a 
great  extent,  been  committed  to  those  who  are  least  compe- 
tent to  perform  it  aright,  and  whose  best  recommendation  isr 
that  they  have  pleasant  voices,  or  can  play  well  upon  an  in- 
strument, or  are  not  ashamed  to  sit  in  "  the  gallery."  Un- 
der their  management,  Sacred  Music  has  become  worthy  of 
the  contempt,  which  it  at  first  innocently  incurred.  Denied 
its  proper  place  in  the  affections  of  the  Church,  it  sought  aid 
elsewhere ;  and,  by  its  foreign  alliance,  was  soon  fitted  for 
the  menial  station  to  which  it  was  condemned.  Against  such 


68  SACRED   MUSIC.  [MARCH, 

unworthy  treatment,  we  enter  our  earnest  and  decided  pro- 
test. We  claim  for  Music  a  high  and  honourable  place  in 
the  temple  of  God,  and  in  those  schools  of  the  prophets 
where  the  future  ministers  of  the  Gospel  are  preparing  for 
their  work.  We  demand  of  the  Church,  in  the  language  of 
the  woman  at  Tekoa,  that "  means  be  devised  that  our  ban- 
ished be  not  expelled  from  us."  And  we  do  this  upon  the 
ground  that  this  subject  is  intimately  connected  with  our 
best  interests  as  moral  and  intellectual  beings. 

In  order  to  show  the  dignity  and  importance  of  Music, 
we  shall  attempt  to  develop  its  relation  to  eloquence.  If 
we  can  show  that  Music  and  eloquence  are  nearly  related, 
or  rather,  that  they  are  identical,  our  object  will  be  accom- 
plished ;  for,  as  to  the  place  which  eloquence  should  occupy 
in  the  church,  or  in  our  seminaries  of  learning,  there  is  hap- 
pily but  one  opinion.  All  agree,  that  a  truly  eloquent  min- 
istry is  one  of  the  choicest  blessings  of  Heaven. 

We  should  infer,  that  eloquence  and  Music  are  intimate- 
ly related,  from  the  fact,  that  they  have  generally  flourished 
or  declined  together ;  and  that  the  causes  which  have  exalted 
or  degraded  one,  have  produced  the  same  effect  upon  the 
other.  The  nature  of  this  relation  will  be  seen  if  we  con- 
sider their  origin,  the  means  by  which  their  effects  are  pro- 
duced, and  their  legitimate  design.  Let  us  cast  a  rapid 
glance  at  these  three  topics. 

What  is  the  origin  of  eloquence  ?  When  and  where, 
and  by  whom,  was  it  invented  ?  How  was  it  discovered  ? 
and  in  what  school  was  it  first  taught  ?  It  was  not  invented 
or  discovered  by  man.  It  was  not  taught  by  man.  Every 
one  has  within  him  its  elements,  and  the  hiding  of  its  power. 
Its  birth-place  is  the  heart.  It  is  born  of  those  emotions 
which  belong  to  our  moral  nature.  The  true  orator,  like  the 
poet,  nascitur,  non  jit ;  and  eloquence  is  a  flame  which, 
though  it  may  be  cherished  and  directed,  is  kindled  by  no 
human  art.  It  is  the  work  of  Him  who  breathed  into  man 
a  living  soul,  and  gave  him  the  inspiration  of  knowledge. 

And  what  is  the  origin  of  Music  ?  To  solve  this  question, 
learned  men  have  framed  very  many  and  very  absurd  theo- 
ries. One  tells  us,  that  a  man  walking  upon  the  sea-shore, 
accidentally  struck  his  foot  against  the  shell  of  a  dead  tor- 
toise, and  from  the  sound  emitted  by  the  tendons,  which  had 
become  dry,  and  tuned  like  the  strings  of  a  harp,  he  derived 
the  idea  of  Music.     If  this  be  not  a  fable — and  that  man  re- 


1836.]  SACRED    MUSIC.  69 

ally  was  indebted  to  accident  for  the  discovery  of  Music,  he 
must  have  been  drier  than  the  shell  that  became  his  instruct- 
ed Another  tells  us,  that  the  sighing  of  the  wind  among 
the  reeds  of  the  Nile,  furnished  men  with  the  elements  out 
of  which  they  constructed  an  artificial  system  of  music. 
Another  maintains,  that  as  the  groves  were  man's  first  tem- 
ples, so  the  birds  of  heaven  were  the  first  choristers,  and  the 
original  teachers  of  this  delightful  art.  It  would  be  about  as 
near  the  truth  to  reverse  these  two  last  theories,  and  say, 
that  the  wind  learned  to  sigh,  and  the  birds  to  sing,  of  man. 
We  wonder  that  those  who  have  searched,  with  so  much 
diligence,  to  discover  the  origin  of  music,  did  not  look  for  it 
within  themselves.  Why  did  they  not  listen  to  the  music 
of  their  own  spirits  ?  Why  did  they  not  hear  the  murmuring 
of  those  chords  in  their  own  bosoms,  which  are  tuned  by 
the  hand  of  Him  who  is  the  great  Source  of  Harmony  ? 

Music  is  the  offspring  of  the  heart.  Like  eloquence,  it 
has  its  elements  in  our  moral  nature ;  it  is  vain  to  look  for 
them  elsewhere.  If  man  had  no  music  in  his  own  soul,  he 
could  never  have  been  taught  it  by  art.  Nature  might  have 
poured  around  him  her  voice  of  gladness,  but  his  heart  would 
have  been  tuneless ;  it  would  have  sent  back  no  echo  to  the 
universal  joy.  Music  begins  with  the  earliest  feelings  of 
childhood.  It  rises  from  the  soul  as  spontaneously  as  in- 
cense from  the  flowers.  It  breaks  forth  like  the  glad  song 
of  the  birds.  It  does  not  stay  for  the  formation  of  articulate 
speech.  It  wakes  with  those  creations  which  need  not  the 
aid  of  words  to  make  them  understood.  The  child  at  play, 
ignorant  of  language  and  of  song,  gives  utterance  to  his  heart- 
felt joy  in  tones  which  embody  the  spirit  of  melody.  His 
heart  gives  out  its  tremulous  response  to  every  touch  of  na- 
ture, as  the  statue  of  Memnon  sent  forth  its  mysterious  har- 
mony, as  soon  as  the  first  beams  of  morning  fell  upon  it. 

Let  us  next  inquire,  What  are  the  means,  or  the  instru- 
ments, by  which  eloquence  produces  its  effects  ? 

The  emotions  of  our  hearts  must  be  made  known  to 
others  by  some  outward  sign.  It  is  of  little  consequence 
what  that  sign  is.  There  is  eloquence  in  the  smile  which 
beams  from  a  heart  rejoicing  in  the  attainment  of  some  long- 
sought  blessing.  There  is  eloquence  in  the  sparkling  of  the 
eye  which  love  has  lighted  up  with  its  own  unquenchable 
fire.  There  is  eloquence  in  the  tear  which  trembles  upon 
the  pale  cheek  of  the  mourner.  Only  let  vour  feelings  be 
Vol.  III.  9 


70  SACRED    MUSIC.  [MARCH, 

exlvlarated,  no  matter  how,  and  they  awaken  in  other  minds 
kindred  feelings.  Weep — and  the  tears  of  your  friend  will 
mingle  with  yours,  before  he  knows  the  extent  or  the  nature 
of  your  grief.  Rejoice — and  other  hearts  around  you  will 
thrill  with  a  responding  gladness.  All  that  eloquence  can 
do,  is  accomplished  by  these  inaudible  signs  of  feeling.  Gar- 
rick  once  personated  a  father,  whose  little  child  had  fallen 
from  a  chamber  window,  and  was  dashed  to  pieces  upon  the 
pavement  below.  He  did  not  speak  ;  but  he  put  himself  into 
the  attitude  of  the  wretched  father  at  the  moment  when  the 
child,  in  its  play,  dropped  from  his  arms  ;  and  he  threw  into 
his  countenance  such  an  expression  of  mingled  terrour  and 
agony,  that  the  spectators  shrieked  with  fear,  and  looked, 
shuddering,  to  the  place  upon  which  the  father's  eyes  wTere 
fixed,  almost  expecting  to  behold  there  the  mangled  body  of 
the  child. 

But  sound  is  also  a  sign  of  emotion,  and  an  instrument  of 
eloquence.  What  the  apostle  said  of  languages,  is  true  also 
of  the  tones  in  which  they  are  spoken.  There  are,  it  may 
be,  so  many  kinds  of  voices  in  the  world,  and  none  of  them 
is  without  signification.  The  various  passions  which  agitate 
the  mind,  express  themselves  naturally  in  sounds  which  art 
cannot  teach,  and  which  practice  cannot  render  more  per- 
fect. It  is  a  fact,  which  may  illustrate  this  remark,  that,  how- 
ever widely  the  languages  of  the  world  differ  in  other  re- 
spects, they  are  all  alike  in  this,  namely,  that  the  tones  of 
voice  in  which  the  native  passions  of  the  soul  are  expressed, 
are  the  same.  Even  irrational  animals  express  their  wrants 
and  passions  in  sounds,  the  meaning  of  which  cannot  be  mis- 
taken, and  which  frequently  produce  in  our  minds  the  deep- 
est emotion.  Bonaparte  tells  us,  that  the  most  touching  elo- 
quence he  ever  heard,  was  the  low  moaning  of  a  dog  over 
the  body  of  his  master,  who  had  fallen  in  battle. 

These  audible  signs  of  emotion  form  a  medium  of  com- 
munication between  heart  and  heart,  and  our  moral  consti- 
tution is  such  that  we  must  be  influenced  by  them.  There 
are  chords  in  every  bosom  that  thrill  under  the  tone  of  feel- 
ing, as  the  strings  of  one  instrument  will  vibrate  in  unison 
with  the  sound  produced  by  the  corresponding  strings  of 
another.  These  sounds  are  the  spirit  and  life  of  eloquence  ; 
and  whatever  body  or  form  this  spirit  assumes,  it  warms  and 
quickens  with  its  own  energy.  You  feel  its  presence  equally 
in  the  impassioned  appeal  of  the  orator,  and  in  that  melody 


1836.]  SACRED   MUSIC.  71 

which  awakens  in  the  soul  emotions  too  intense  for  words* 
How  often  have  we  felt  our  hearts  touched,  and  the  tear 
start  from  our  eye,  when  we  could  remember  nothing  but 
the  voice  of  the  speaker  as  the  immediate  cause  ?  Jefferson 
said  of  the  eloquence  of  Patrick  Henry,  that  it  was  the  most 
moving  of  any  he  ever  heard,  though  he  never  could  remem- 
ber the  matter  of  his  speeches.  We  have  often  been  con- 
strained to  say  the  same  of  other  orators.  Thoughts  and 
words,  which  at  one  time  have  fallen  around  us  powerless  as 
the  winter  moon-beams,  have,  at  another  time,  and  by  ano* 
ther  speaker,  been  sent  burning  into  our  hearts,  with  irre- 
sistible force  and  effect. 

We  shall  not  speculate  upon  the  origin  of  language. 
Some  say,  that  it  was,  at  first,  nothing  more  than  the  inar- 
ticulate expression  of  want  and  passion ;  and  that,  as  the 
relative  and  artificial  wants  of  men  multiplied,  necessity  com- 
pelled them  to  invent  words,  until  their  vocabulary  became 
copious,  and  their  modes  of  communicating  thought  and  feel- 
ing was  subject  to  fixed  laws.  Others  suppose  that  language 
was,  as  much  as  reason  and  understanding,  the  gift  of  God. 
Be  this  as  it  may,  it  is  most  certain,  that  language,  to  be  an 
instrument  of  eloquence,  must  be  warmed  by  emotion.  If 
it  is  not  the  immediate  offspring  of  feeling,  it  must  be  bap- 
tized by  feeling.  Every  one  knows,  from  his  own  experi- 
ence and  observation,  that  language  derives,  from  the  tone 
in  which  it  is  uttered,  much,  if  not  all  its  power  to  affect  the 
heart.  Custom  has  indeed  placed  a  stamp  upon  words,  which 
makes  them  current  in  the  ordinary  transactions  of  life  ;  but 
when  your  object  is  to  excite  feeling,  you  find  that  the  effect 
depends,  not  so  much  upon  the  conventional,  as  upon  the  spi- 
ritual meaning  of  your  words.  In  this  respect,  if  in  no  other, 
language  has  a  double  sense ;  one  for  the  intellect,  the  other 
for  the  heart.  We  may  be  accused  of  paradox  in  saying, 
what  yet  seems  to  be  true,  that  language  maybe  understood 
without  being  felt,  and  felt  without  being  understood.  It  is 
the  speaker's  soul,  breathing  in  his  words,  which  finds  its  way 
to  our  hearts  :  as  in  receiving  a  gift,  we  are  not  affected  by 
its  worth,  as  an  article  of  trade,  but  by  the  value  which  it 
derives  from  the  feelings  of  the  giver.  If  a  man  should  tell 
us  a  story  of  some  terrible  accident,  by  which  he  and  his 
family  have  been  reduced  to  poverty  and  distress,  in  tones 
which  are  the  natural  expression  of  joy,  we  should  be  but 
little  moved,  unless  indeed  we  regarded  the  supposed  suf- 


72  SACRED    MUSIC.  [MaRCH, 

ferer  as  insane.  It  may  be  replied,  that  in  this  case  we  should 
not  feel ;  because  the  manner  of  telling  the  story  would  cre- 
ate the  suspicion,  that  the  pretended  accident  was  a  mere  fic- 
tion. But  this  would  not  be  conclusive  ;  for  how  often  does 
an  eloquent  pleader  draw  tears  from  our  eyes,  when  we  have 
no  faith  in  the  truth  of  his  representations  ? 

These  remarks  are  equally  true  of  Music.  Music  has 
now  its  written  language,  which,  like  that  of  eloquence,  has 
a  double  sense.  Originally,  we  may  believe,  it  was  the  sim- 
ple breathing  out  of  strong  emotion.  Its  tones  did  not,  per- 
haps, require  the  aid  of  words  to  make  them  understood  and 
felt.  They  entered  the  soul  by  an  avenue  of  their  own,  and 
awakened  its  feelings,  as  the  wind  sweeping  over  the  harp 
draws  from  its  strings  a  wild  and  enchanting  melody. 
And  now,  the  artificial  language  in  which  musical  ideas  are 
communicated  to  us,  warmed  and  energized  by  the  feelings 
which  gave  birth  to  Music,  may  produce  all  the  effects  of 
the  most  perfect  eloquence. 

This  leads  us  to  inquire,  What  is  the  design  of  eloquence  ? 
What  does  the  orator  purpose  to  accomplish  ? 

We  shall  not  dwell  upon  this  point  at  much  length. 
Without  entering  the  broad  field  which  the  question  opens 
before  us,  we  shall  merely  indicate  the  object  of  the  sa- 
cred orator.  This  is  not  to  amuse  his  hearers — not  to  ex- 
cite in  them  vague  desires,  and  aimless  feelings — not  merely 
to  communicate  instruction.  The  great  purpose  and  end 
of  sacred  eloquence,  is  to  sanctify  the  heart,  and  awaken  in 
it  the  love  of  duty.  Men  need  instruction ;  but  this  is  not 
all  that  they  need.  How  often  do  we  find  the  most  intelligent 
minds  the  most  indifferent  in  regard  to  duty  ?  Their  intel- 
lectual faculties  are  active,  while  their  affections  sleep.  Light 
shines  in  the  understanding,  but  the  dark  heart  does  not  com- 
prehend it ;  it  freezes  while  it  shines.  There  is  needed  a 
stronger  power  than  that  possessed  by  mere  knowledge,  to 
break  up  the  deep,  but  dark  and  fervent  fountain  of  the  feel- 
ings, and  to  send  them  forth  to  refresh  and  gladden  the  city 
of  God.  This  is  the  work,  under  the  guidance  and  blessing 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  of  sacred  eloquence.  x 

And  what  is  the  end  and  object  of  Sacred  Music  ?  To 
amuse  a  congregation  with  startling  novelties  ?  to  awake 
them,  at  intervals,  during  Divine  service  ?  to  fill  up  a  pause 
in  the  exercises,  that  the  minister  may  have  a  moment  of  rest, 
and  the  congregation  a  short  relaxation  from  the  severities 


1836.]  SACRED  MUSIC.  73 

of  devotion  ?  to  blunt  the  arrow  of  truth,  and  to  send  home 
the  gay  and  the  thoughtless  with  a  disburdened  conscience  ? 
Surely  not.  The  aim  of  Sacred  Music  is  high  and  holy. 
It  is  designed,  as  it  is  adapted,  to  exert  an  influence  upon 
the  moral  feelings,  as  great,  as  salutary,  and  as  permanent, 
as  that  of  sacred  eloquence.  What  Cowper  said  of  the  pul- 
pit, we  would  apply  to  the  orchestra — the  orchestra,  not  as  it 
is,  but  as  it  should  be,  in  the  sober  use  of  its  legitimate,  peculiar 
powers.  The  history  of  Music  will  show,  that,  in  all  na- 
tions, and  in  all  ages,  it  has  been  used  to  promote  the  same 
end  as  eloquence.  Indeed,  in  the  earlier  stages  of  society, 
Music  was  almost  the  only  form  of  eloquence.  It  was  in  use 
long  before  the  invention  of  letters,  and  was  employed  in  all 
the  great  and  serious  concerns  of  life.  All  those  sentiments 
which  adorn  and  dignify  human  nature,  were  excited  and 
sustained  by  Music.  They  used  the  harp  to  civilize  the 
rude,  to  reclaim  the  vicious,  to  allay  the  stormy  and  de- 
praved passions  of  men,  and  to  dispel  from  the  mind  that 
melancholy,  which  sometimes  covered  it  like  the  shadow 
of  death.  There  may  be,  there  probably  is,  much  of  fiction  in 
the  descriptions  which  have  come  down  to  us,  of  the  power 
of  ancient  Music.  But  when  every  allowance  is  made,  we 
must  believe  that  the  effects  of  Music  were  as  great,  as  those 
ever  produced  by  orators  and  poets.  So  much  of  truth  is 
contained  in  these  accounts,  that  a  celebrated  writer  has 
said,  Let  me  make  the  ballads  of  a  nation,  and  who  will,  may 
make  the  laws.  If  he  could  sing  them  too,  like  Homer  and 
Ossian,  he  might  defy  all  opposing  influences. 

If  Sacred  Music  was  not  introduced  into  the  sanctuary 
by  express  Divine  appointment,  it  is  certainly  not  only  per- 
fectly consistent  with  all  the  other  positive  institutions  of  the 
Gospel,  but  a  powerful  aid  to  them  all.  We  regard  it  as  a 
means  of  grace,  and  Christians  have  in  all  ages  used  it  in  their 
assemblies  as  such.  They  have  used  it  to  elevate  and  refine 
their  devotional  feelings,  to  stimulate  their  sluggish  hearts, 
to  warm  their  affections,  to  melt  away  the  cold  selfishness 
of  the  soul,  to  give  increased  efficacy  to  Divine  truth.  And 
we  have  abundant  evidence,  that,  when  performed  as  all 
religious  exercises  should  be,  it  is  a  most  efficient  help  to 
religion.  It  wakes  the  soul  to  duty  and  to  happiness.  It 
wings  the  arrow  to  the  wandering  heart.  Upon  its  melting 
tones,  the  spirit  of  consolation  often  glides  into  the  troubled 
bosom.  What  Christian  has  not  felt  his  devotion  kindled  into 


74  SACRED    MUSIC.  [M.VRCH, 

a  more  intense  glow  by  the  lofty  anthem  ?  Who  has  not 
felt  his  soul  subdued  and  melted  by  the  deep  pathos  of  the 
penitential  hymn  ? 

That  these  are  not  the  constant  and  universal  effects  of 
Sacred  Music,  must  be  acknowledged.  Attempts  to  pro- 
duce them  are  often  miserable  failures,  or  are  followed  by 
results  beyond  expression  painful.  Devotion  is  frequently 
chilled,  instead  of  being  invigorated  and  enlivened — truth 
rendered  powerless,  instead  of  being  made  more  affecting — 
the  most  beautiful  sentiments  burlesqued — and  the  temple  of 
God  made  a  place  of  confusion.  Indeed,  we  must  confess, 
that  the  sublime  effects  which  Music  is  designed  to  pro- 
duce, are  seldom  witnessed.  In  our  churches,  gener- 
ally, its  great  object  is  rarely,  if  ever,  attained,  and  instead 
of  doing  good,  it,  for  the  most  part,  inflicts  a  positive  injury  up- 
on the  cause  of  religion.  This  is  to  be  accounted  for,  not  by 
denying  to  Music  what  rightfully  belongs  to  it,  but  in  the 
same  way  that  we  account  for  the  failure  of  an  orator  to 
accomplish  the  design  of  eloquence.  Music  will  fail  where 
eloquence  does,  and  for  the  same  reasons. 

The  good  influence  of  Sacred  Music,  depends  upon  cer- 
tain conditions  on  the  part  of  the  hearer,  the  composer,  and 
the  performer. 

The  first  of  these  conditions  is,  that  the  mind,  to 
be  affected,  should  be  susceptible  of  moral  impressions  from 
this  cause.  Music  cannot  soften  rocks,  nor  rend  the  knot- 
ted oak.  The  hearer  must  be  in  a  proper  state.  There 
may  be  a  moral  obtuseness  so  great — a  selfishness  so  deep 
— a  worldliness  so  obstinate — a  depravity  so  radical  and  ma- 
lignant— a  levity  so  thoughtless — a  system  of  errour  so  dark 
and  oppressive — a  physical  defect  so  incurable,  that  the 
voice  of  the  charmer,  charming  never  so  wisely,  will  not 
produce  any  effect.  Music  fails  here,  and  so  does  elo- 
quence. We  know  that  there  are  hearts  that  will  not  melt 
under  the  blazing  eloquence  of  Jehovah ;  and  those  hearts 
would  not  be  stirred  by  the  melody  of  an  Angel's  harp,  nor 
by  that  new  song,  swelling  like  the  sound  of  many  waters,  from 
the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect.  But  whose  faith  in  elo- 
quence is  weakened  by  the  fact  that  it  cannot  sway  every 
mind  ?  And  should  the  fact  that  the  Music  of  the  sanctuary  falls 
sometimes  upon  uncircumcised  ears  and  hearts,  like  midnight 
dews  upon  barren  lands,  suggest  a  doubt  as  to  its  object  or  its 
power  ? 


1836.]  SACRED    MUSIC.  75 

Another  essential  condition,  upon  which  the  influence  of 
Sacred  Music  depends,  is,  that  the  composition  used  in  the 
church  should  possess  a  simple,  chaste,  and  devotional  cha- 
racter. Every  tune  is  not  adapted  to  excite  religious  feeling, 
and  to  make  a  serious  impression  upon  the  mind.  The  Mu- 
sic introduced  into  the  temple  of  God  must,  first  of  all,  be 
characterized  by  great  simplicity  of  melody  and  harmony. 
It  must  be  the  plain,  unaffected  language  of  pure  and  strong 
emotion.  The  most  touching  and  effective  eloquence  is  the 
most  simple.  There  is  oftentimes  a  gross  conception,  which 
mistakes  pompous  expressions  for  nature  and  truth  ;  but  no 
man  may  expect  to  produce  deep  and  holy  impressions  by 
following  out,  in  practice,  such  a  conception  of  eloquence. 
So  the  most  powerful  Music  has  the  fewest  artificial  deco- 
rations. The  celebrated  "  Miserere,"  which  produces  such 
overwhelming  effects  in  the  Pope's  chapel,  is  remarkable  for 
nothing  so  much  as  its  extreme  simplicity.  The  same  is 
true  of  those  airs  which  bear  the  general  name  of  "  Ranz  des 
Vaches,"  so  dear  to  every  Swiss  ;  and  which,  when  heard 
in  a  foreign  land,  sometimes  excite  the  mind  to  incurable 
frenzy.  The  ancient  Music  too,  of  which  such  wonderful 
stories  are  told,  was  characterized  by  the  same  trait. 

We  are  sorry  to  say,  that  much  of  the  Music  most  popu- 
lar in  our  churches  at  the  present  time,  is  any  thing  but 
simple.  The  earlier  compositions  of  American  writers,  with 
few  exceptions,  are  highly  objectionable  on  this  account: 
and  even  our  modern  composers,  though  possessing  infinitely 
more  learning  and  genius,  are  too  often  betrayed  into  the 
worst  fault  of  their  predecessors.  Let  the  reader  turn  over 
the  pages  of  almost  any  compilation  of  Church  Psalmody 
that  is  at  hand  ;  or  listen  to  some  of  the  most  popular  and 
admired  productions,  performed  with  all  the  skill  and  desti- 
tution of  true  feeling,  which  characterize  the  public  concerts 
of  the  present  day,  and  he  will  find  ample  illustration  of  this 
remark.  He  may  admire  the  genius  that  could  construct 
pieces  so  obscure,  complicated,  and  difficult — he  may  be 
astonished  at  the  skill  displayed  in  the  execution — he  may 
be  startled  by  the  intricacy  and  rapidity  of  the  movements — 
he  may  become  bewildered  in  chromatic  labyrinths,  and  be 
overborne  by  a  tempest  of  sound — but  he  will  not  hear,  per- 
haps, one  strain  of  eloquent  Music,  nor  be  able  to  recognise 
the  still,  small  voice,  which  will  melt  him  into  pious  fervour, 


76  SACRED    MUSIC.  [MaRCH, 

or  penitential  sadness.  The  spirit  of  that  harmony  which  the 
heart  loves  and  seeks,  dwells  not  in  the  whirlwind. 

It  is  essential  also,  that  the  Music  used  in  our  public  wor- 
ship should  possess  a  religious  character.  If  Music  be  elo- 
quence, it  must  be  sacred  eloquence.  We  must  select  for 
the  sanctuary  those  melodies  which  have  been  composed  ex- 
pressly for  the  worship  of  God,  by  men  who  themselves  pos- 
sessed a  devotional  taste — melodies  which  will  sweetly  blend 
with  the  spirit  of  religion,  and  enter  the  soul  like  an  inspira- 
tion from  heaven.  It  has  been  the  fashion — we  are  happy 
to  know  that  it  is  one  of  the  fashions  of  the  world  which  is 
passing  away — to  select  from  the  Music  of  the  theatre,  the 
ball-room,  and  the  field,  the  most  popular  airs,  and,  by  vari- 
ous changes  and  mutilations,  to  prepare  them  for  the  house 
of  God.  This  is  called  adapting  them  to  devotional  pur- 
poses :  as  if  a  composition,  which  has  nothing  of  a  devotional 
character  about  it,  could  be  converted  and  sanctified  by  a 
mere  change  of  place  and  of  name.  We  may  be  called  fas- 
tidious, ignorant,  or  bigoted,  by  many  performers  and  com- 
pilers of  Music ;  but  we  cannot  suppress  the  expression  of  our 
regret  that  the  practice  alluded  to  has  been  sanctioned  by 
some  whose  praise  is  in  all  the  churches ;  and  that  several 
works,  widely  circulated,  and  possessing  a  high  degree  of 
excellence,  contain  so  many  of  these  secular  compositions. 

In  regard  to  this  kind  of  Music,  it  is  but  justice,  we  think, 
to  say,  that  though  it  is  beautiful,  it  is  not  sacred.  It  was 
not  designed  for  religious  purposes.  It  may  be  a  source  of 
refined  amusement  in  the  concert-room,  but  it  is  out  of  place 
in  the  house  of  God.  There  is  a  worldly,  voluptuous  taste 
developed  in  these  secular  airs,  which  does  not,  and  cannot 
harmonize  with  the  hallowed  spirit  of  the  Gospel.  We  shall 
be  told,  that  they  are  "  married  to  immortal  verse,"  and  that 
this  connexion  will  elevate  and  purify  the  Music.  Not  so. 
The  alliance  is  unnatural  and  unholy  ;  and  the  heathen  is 
not  sanctified  by  its  relation  to  a  daughter  of  Zion.  Not- 
withstanding the  labour  bestowed  upon  these  pieces,  and  the 
pains  taken  to  give  them  unity  of  spirit  and  accent,  most  of 
them  betray  the  different  origin  of  the  words  and  the  music ; 
they  speak  half  in  the  speech  of  Ashdod.  And  how  should 
it  be  otherwise  ?  The  Music  to  which  we  refer  is  not  from 
Heaven,  but  of  men — fair,  but  breathing  a  spirit  which  is  of 
this  world.     It  is  the  offspring  of  a  brilliant  imagination  and 


1836.]  SACRED   MUSIC.  77 

an  unsanctified  heart ;  and  if  it  is  adapted  to  excite  any  feel- 
ings, they  are  feelings  which  it  is  the  object  of  truth  to  extin- 
guish or  to  purify. 

Much  of  this  Music  is  also  highly  objectionable,  on  the 
ground  of  its  actual  associations.  Airs  which  have  thrown 
their  enchantment  over  the  unthinking  crowd  in  the  theatre 
— which  have  awakened  the  profane  mirth  of  the  convivial 
meeting — which  have  maddened  the  soldier  upon  the  field  of 
battle — which  have  governed  the  movements  of  the  volup- 
tuous waltz — breathe  over  the  lovers  of  pleasure,  in  the 
house  of  God,  with  a  well-remembered  influence,  until  they 
forget  where  they  are,  and  feel  their  hearts  transported  be- 
yond the  precincts  of  the  sanctuar)^,  too  far  to  be  drawn  back 
by  the  power  of  truth.  Scenes  too  familiar  and  too  unholy; 
rise  before  the  mind,  while  the  preacher  is  unheard,  and  the 
interests  of  the  soul  are  neglected.  What  can  be  more  unfit 
than  such  Music  for  that  place  where  men  are  exhorted  to 
forget  the  vanities  of  this  world,  and  to  place  their  affections 
upon  things  above.  It  is  strange  that  it  should  ever  have 
gained  admission  into  the  church.  The  door  was  opened, 
doubtless,  by  the  hand  of  a  friend,  but  he  knew  not  what  he 
did;  and  few,  perhaps,  are  aware  how  deep  an  injury  has 
thus  been  inflicted  upon  us.  We  need  not  remind  our  read- 
ers, who  it  was  that  first  thought  of  making  songs,  and 
marches,  &c.  contribute  to  the  edification  of  Christians.  He 
could  not  bear,  he  said,  that  the  devil  should  have  the  exclu- 
sive possession  of  such  fine  tunes.  For  our  own  part,  we 
must  honestly  confess,  that  we  would  rather  have  the  whole 
of  them  disposed  of  in  that  way,  than  ever  to  hear  them  in 
our  devotions.  "  Render  unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are 
Caesar's."  Let  the  coin  in  which  we  pay  tribute  to  the  trea- 
sury of  the  sanctuary  bear  the  image  and  superscription  of 
God.  Let  not  the  "  devil's  music"  be  continually  breaking 
in  upon  our  holy  worship,  transporting  the  young,  the  gay, 
the  thoughtless,  by  the  power  of  association,  to  places  where 
God  and  religion  are  not ;  and  thus  extinguishing  every  de- 
vout affection  which  the  ambassadors  of  Christ  are  striving  to 
cherish.  We  hope  that  this  kind  of  Music  will  soon  be  driven 
from  the  temple  of  God.  "Take  these  things  hence."  Why 
are  they  here  ?  And  instead  of  such  soulless  and  frivolous 
stuff,  let  us  have  those  deeply  devotional  melodies  which  will 
minister  to  a  soul  diseased  and  troubled.  Give  us  those  pure, 
hallowed  strains  in  which  a  martyr  might  breathe  out  his 
Vol.  III.  10 


78  SACRED   MUSIC.  [MARCH, 

soul  upon  the  cross — strains  which  reach  our  inmost  heart, 
and  make  us  forget  the  vain,  noisy  world — strains  of  celes- 
tial power,  which  shall  raise  the  glowing  mind  to  heaven, 
and  fill  it  with  the  spirit  of  harmony  and  love.  There  is 
enough  elsewhere  of  novelty  and  of  amusement,  if  beings 
like  us  need  these  things :  in  the  place  where  God  has  record- 
ed his  name,  and  where  he  has  promised  to  meet  his  people, 
let  every  word  that  is  uttered,  and  every  thought  that  is 
breathed  forth  in  music,  tend  to  hasten  our  preparation  for 
His  presence.  Shall  then  the  kind  of  Music  of  which  we 
have  spoken  be  banished  from  the  world?  We  do  not  say 
this.  We  grant  that  much  of  it  is  beautiful — much  of  it 
possesses  a  fascinating  power — while  much  is  frivolous  and 
unmeaning.  Whatever  be  its  merit,  it  has  no  title  to  a  place 
in  the  services  of  religion ;  let  us  be  content  if  we  can  hear 
it  any  where  without  injury.  A  Christian  may  visit  a  gal- 
lery of  paintings  with  pleasure  and  with  profit ;  but  what 
Protestant  would  consent  to  have  even  the  most  beautiful 
and  unexceptionable  pictures  hung  upon  the  walls  of  our 
churches,  as  helps  to  our  devotion  ?  Such  productions  excite 
the  imagination,  and  chain  the  feelings  to  earth  :  they  do  not 
help,  they  rather  injure  true  devotion.  In  the  sanctuary  we 
wish  to  wait  upon  the  Lord  without  distraction ;  here  we 
wish  to  meditate  upon  things  above  ;  here  we  wish  to  receive 
impressions  from  those  realities,  before  which  the  sublimest 
works  of  art  fade  into  insignificance. 

Another  condition  upon  which  the  influence  of  Music  de- 
pends, is,  that  the  performer  shall  realize  the  conception  of 
the  composer.  The  most  perfect  piece  may  not  only  fail  of 
producing  the  effect  intended,  but  may  excite  feelings  the 
most  painful  or  ludicrous.  All  singing,  or  playing,  is  not 
Music.  You  may  use  the  notes  before  you,  and  give  their 
true  tone  and  time,  and  yet  there  may  be  no  Music  in  your 
performance :  you  may  execute  a  piece  in  such  a  manner, 
that  the  composer  himself  wrould  not  recognize  his  own  pro- 
duction. All  speaking  is  not  eloquence :  the  burning  thoughts 
of  prophets  and  apostles  may  freeze  in  passing  over  the 
tongue  of  some  conceited  and  cold-hearted  preacher.  If 
you  wish  to  produce  the  effects  of  Music,  you  must  use  Mu- 
sic to  produce  them.  We  once  witnessed  the  most  signal 
and  painful  failure  of  an  attempt  to  awaken  deep  and  awful 
feelings  in  an  audience.  The  composition  employed  was  a 
beautiful  and  noble  anthem  :  it  contained  a  description  of 


1836.]  SACRED   MUSIC.  79 

the  last  judgment ;  and,  among  other  symphonies,  there  was 
one  for  the  trumpet.  But  as  the  choir  possessed  no  trumpet, 
a  man  with  a  violin  was  stationed  in  the  rear  of  the  orches- 
tra, as  a  substitute.  In  its  original  character  of  violin  it  was 
intolerable  ;  but,  as  an  imitation  of  the  trump  of  the  arch- 
angel, which  is  to  awake  the  dead  and  call  them  to  judg- 
ment, nothing  but  a  strong  effort  to  realize  the  terrours  of 
that  tremendous  day,  when  the  Judge  shall  descend,  amidst 
heaving  sepulchres  and  flaming  fire,  could  destroy  the  effect 
of  that  dreadful  caricature.  The  vocal  execution  was  but 
little  better. 

But  whatever  may  be  the  skill,  or  the  mechanical  perfec- 
tion with  which  a  composition  is  executed,  the  conception  of 
an  able  and  pious  composer  cannot  be  realized  without  a 
devotional  spirit  in  the  performers.  The  song  must  not 
only  be  spiritual  ;  it  must  be  sung  "  with  the  spirit,"  as  well 
as  with  the  understanding.  The  often  quoted  remark  of 
Horace,  That  he  who  would  excite  any  emotion  in  other 
minds,  must  feel  that  emotion  himself,  holds  as  good  in  Mu- 
sic as  in  oratory.  We  may  not  be  understood,  perhaps,  by 
many,  when  we  say,  that  holy  emotions,  sanctified  affections, 
are  as  necessary  to  give  full  effect  to  the  music  of  the  sanc- 
tuary, as  to  impart  a  controlling  influence  to  the  preacher's 
efforts.  If  a  whole  assembly  is  to  be  moved  by  the  power 
of  Music,  the  strains  must  flow  from  hearts  that  have  been 
baptized  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  warmed  into  rapture  by 
the  transforming  love  of  Jesus.  It  cannot  be  expected  that 
the  cold,  worldly  spirit  of  the  hearer  should  be  melted,  while 
the  heart  of  the  performer  is  freezing.  We  sometimes  hear  the 
complaint,  that  the  singing  is  the  most  unmeaning,  and  most 
useless  exercise  that  is  performed  in  the  house  of  God.  This 
complaint  is  often  well  grounded  ;  but  the  remedy  is  at  hand. 
It  is  very  simple,  and  easily  applied.  It  does  not  consist  in 
introducing  greater  variety  or  novelty  ;  nor  in  procuring  a 
greater  number  of  performers  or  better  voices  ;  but  in  deep- 
er religious  feeling  among  those  to  whom  this  part  of  Di- 
vine service  is  committed.  Let  men  sing  with  the  spirit 
which  glowed  in  the  bosom  of  Jesus  to  his  disciples,  when, 
on  the  eve  of  his  crucifixion,  they  mingled  their  voices  in 
his  funeral  hymn.  Let  the  spirit  which  constrained  Paul 
and  Silas  to  sing  amidst  the  smart  of  their  wounds,  and  the 
gloom  of  their  dungeon,  animate  the  hearts  of  those  who 
sing  the  songs  of  Zion.     Let  us  pour  out  our  music,  with 


80  SACRED    MUSIC.  [MARCH, 

the  impassioned  soul  of  the  rapt  Isaiah.  Let  us  follow  the 
Psalmist  in  his  lofty  flight.  Let  us  drink  into  the  spirit  of  the 
martyrs  of  Jesus,  who,  amidst  the  torture  of  the  rack,  the 
cross,  and  the  flames,  breathed  out  their  souls  in  praise.  If 
a  spirit  like  this  reigned  in  the  church,  and  governed  all  our 
movements,  we  should  never  hear  the  complaint  that  the 
songs  of  Zion  were  unheeded  or  powerless.  The  tearful  eye, 
the  heaving  bosom,  the  prostrate  and  penitent  soul,  would 
furnish  ample  and  delightful  evidence,  that  we  have  not  la- 
boured in  vain.  Such  effects  are  sometimes  witnessed  in 
the  house  of  God.  We  have  known  one  minister  at 
least,  who  has  confessed  that  after  the  performance  of  a 
hymn,  by  Mr.  Mason's  choir,  he  has  been  almost  afraid  to 
commence  his  sermon,  lest  he  should  destroy  the  deep  im- 
pression produced  by  the  music. 

We  wrould  say,  then,  to  every  one  who  takes  a  part  in  this 
service,  cherish  the  spirit  of  the  gospel,  as  the  best  preparation 
for  your  duty.  Remember  that  Music  has  power  only  when 
you  have  the  feelings  which  you  wish  to  inspire.  Cultivate, 
with  greatest  earnestness,  every  heavenly  affection.  While 
you  study  the  language  of  Music,  and  strive  to  attain  skill  in 
the  use  of  it,  be  still  more  anxious  to  understand  the  secret  of 
its  power.  The  letter  may  be  important,  but  it  is  the  spirit 
which  giveth  life.  With  such  a  view  of  the  nature  and  end 
of  Sacred  Music,  and  with  such  a  spirit  breathing  in  all  your 
performances,  you  will  make  the  house  of  God  like  the  gate 
of  heaven,  and  every  sincere  worshipper  will  feel  it  good  to 
be  there.  And  we  would  say  to  all  who  have  influence  in 
the  church,  let  not  a  means  of  grace  so  powerful  as  Music 
be  lost  for  want  of  an  efficient  patronage.  Let  not  its  use 
be  committed  to  the  vicious,  the  ignorant,  or  the  thoughtless. 
Better  hang  the  harp  of  Zion  upon  the  willows,  than  entrust 
it  to  profane  hands.  Let  not  those  who  are  competent  to 
edify  the  church  ever  feel,  that  they  are  singing  the  Lord's 
song  in  a  strange  land.  Give  them  a  hearty  and  an  efficient 
support,  and  spare  no  pains  or  expense,  to  secure  for  the 
church  the  constant  assistance  of  an  eloquent  choir.  We  do 
not  say  that  the  pulpit  may  as  well  be  vacant  as  the  orches- 
tra ;  but  we  do  say,  that  the  church,  or  community,  which 
can  treat  with  indifference  or  contempt  the  claims  of  the  one, 
will  not  be  likely  to  profit  much  by  the  instructions  of  the 
other.  The  same  spirit  which  makes  a  man  insensible  to 
the  high  importance  of  Sacred  Music,  will  generally  lead 


1836.]  SACHED    MUSIC.  81 

him  to  undervalue  the^ministry ;  and  whatever  destroys  the 
influence  of  a  well-trained  and  pious  choir,  will  render  of 
none  effect  the  word  of  God,  however  preached.  Sacred 
Music  and  sacred  eloquence  are  only  different  forms  of  the 
same  thing ;  they  are  different  ministrations  of  the  same 
Spirit.  The  end  of  both  is  the  same  :  God  hath  joined  them 
together,  and  let  not  the  church,  through  indolence,  or  covet- 
ousness,  ever  divorce  them.  Every  man  may  do  something 
in  aid  of  the  cause  which  we  plead.  All,  it  is  true,  may  not 
be  able  to  sing  ;  but  all  can  give  a  substantial  proof  of  their 
interest  in  this  subject,  by  sustaining  and  encouraging  those 
who  are.  And  all  can  feel  the  power  of  those  hallowed 
strains  in  which  the  Gospel  breathes  forth  its  sanctifying 
truths :  or,  if  they  cannot,  there  is  one  change  yet  to  be  ef- 
fected in  their  moral  constitution  before  they  can  see  the 
kingdom  of  God,  and  understand  the  song  of  Moses  and  the 
Lamb. 

We  commend  this  subject  particularly,  and  with  great 
earnestness,  to  ministers  of  the  Gospel.  They  should  be  the 
most  zealous  patrons  of  Music ;  for  their  success  is  in  no 
small  degree  connected  with  the  state  of  this  science  in  the 
church.  It  is  worse  than  folly  in  them  to  neglect  it.  By 
suitable  attention  to  this  subject,  they  may  exert  an  influence 
over  a  portion  of  the  community  which  can  be  reached  in 
no  other  way.  Their  influence  is  also  needed  to  enlighten 
and  reform  the  church,  and  to  promote  the  cultivation  of  Sa- 
cred Music  in  the  community,  as  a  means  of  advancing  the 
cause  of  Christ.  But  knowledge  will  not  come  by  inspira- 
tion ;  and  Music,  like  every  thing  else,  must  be  studied  to  be 
understood.  There  cannot  be  a  doubt  that  it  ought  to  be 
studied,  in  connexion  with  all  the  other  studies  of  the  pri- 
mary school,  the  academy,  the  college,  and  the  theological 
seminary ;  not  by  stealth,  as  if  it  were  the  black-art — not 
with  the  feeling  that  it  is  a  trifling  matter,  or  a  mere  source 
of  amusement — but  as  an  important,  honourable,  and  neces- 
sary branch  of  education,  without  which  no  man  is  thorough- 
ly fitted  for  the  work  of  the  ministry.  Let  us  not  be  mis- 
understood. We  do  not  mean  that  ignorance  of  Music  is 
fatal  to  a  man's  success  as  a  preacher.  One  may  do  a  great 
deal  of  good  without  any  knowledge  of  Greek  or  Hebrew. 
He  may  win  many  souls  to  Christ  with  a  stammering  tongue 
and  a  wretched  elocution.  A  man  ignorant  of  Music  may 
do  good,  and  a  thousandfold  more,  perhaps,  than  another,  who 


82  SACRED    MUSIC.  [MaRCH, 

can  sing  like  an  angel.  But  what  doe^s  all  this  prove  ?  Sim- 
ply, that  an  imperfect  education  is  not  an  insuperable  obsta- 
cle in  the  way  of  usefulness,  when  the  heart  is  right  with 
God.  But  surely  it  does  not  prove,  that  the  wilful  neglect  of 
any  thing  by  which  the  ministerial  office  may  be  rendered 
more  influential,  is  either  innocent  or  safe. 

We  are  aware  of  the  several  objections  which  may  be 
urged  against  our  present  position,  but  they  cannot  be  fully 
answered  within  the  limits  to  which  we  are  confined.  The 
principal  one,  however,  which  grows  out  of  a  doubt  in  re- 
gard to  the  importance  of  this  subject — the  rank  which  it 
should  hold  among  pursuits  the  most  dignified  and  useful — 
we  flatter  ourselves  has  been  disposed  of.  The  place  ot 
Music  is  by  the  side  of  eloquence.  They  are  twin  sisters, 
of  equal  grace,  beauty,  and  dignity  ;  and  he  who  honours 
one  should  reverence  the  other.  We  may  be  told,  perhaps, 
that  there  is  danger  of  loving  Music  too  well,  and  of  be- 
stowing too  much  time  upon  it,  and  we  may  hear  of  some 
ministers  who  are  mere  musicians.  There  is  danger  of  this, 
for  Music  is  a  fascinating  study.  But  there  is  danger  that 
some  men  will  love  mathematics  too  well,  that  some  will 
spend  too  much  time  upon  history,  that  some  will  study 
geology  until  they  forget  Moses,  that  some  will  be  mere  lin- 
guists, and  understand  other  tongues  so  well  that  they  can 
hardly  use  their  own.  But  what  is  the  remedy  ?  Shall  we 
banish  every  thing  which  may  be  loved  too  well,  and  occu- 
py too  great  a  portion  of  our  thoughts  ?  This  would  be  a 
simple  and  short  method  ;  but  a  deep  sense  of  duty  to  Christ 
and  the  church,  a  disposition  to  do  every  thing  to  the  glory 
of  God,  a  constant  recollection  that  we  are  stewards  of  the 
mysteries  of  God,  and  that  it  is  required  of  stewards  that  a 
man  be  found  faithful,  would,  we  think,  be  a  more  effectual 
cure  of  indolence  or  self-indulgence,  than  the  neglect  or  pro- 
scription of  any  gift  of  God.  Some  may  reply  to  what  we 
have  urged  above,  that  they  have  no  taste  for  Music,  and 
are  unable  to  interest  themselves  at  all  in  the  subject.  We 
are  sorry  for  such  men.  What  will  they  do  in  heaven? 
How  will  they  bear  the  eternal  singing  around  the  throne  of 
God  and  the  Lamb  ?  It  were  well  for  them,  if  they 
would  learn  now  that  new  song,  and  open  their  hearts  to 
the  influence  of  that  which  will  constitute  their  chief  em- 
ployment hereafter.  Let  them  remember  that  in  heaven 
they  will  hear  nothing  but  the  Music  of  eloquence,  and  the 


1836.]  review  of  abbot's  writings.  83 

eloquence  of  Music.  Others  may  plead  a  want  of  time  as 
an  excuse  for  ignorance  of  Music.  They  have  more  press- 
ing or  important  duties.  Yes,  more  pressing,  perhaps,  for 
Music  is  backward  in  urging  her  claims :  and  she  has  been 
so  long  slighted  that  she  speaks  with  diffidence ;  but  hardly 
more  important,  if  you  consider  the  relation  which  it  sus- 
tains to  every  part  of  the  Christian's  duty.  We  know  that 
time  is  short ;  our  whole  life  is  but  a  vapour  ;  but  it  is  long 
enough  for  the  performance  of  all  our  work.  We  do  not 
gain  time  by  neglecting  one  duty,  and  labouring  more  dili- 
gently upon  another.  It  would  be  strange  economy  in  na- 
ture to  send  all  the  strength  ol  the  body  into  the  eye,  be- 
cause you  cannot  work  without  sight ;  and  it  is  as  absurd  to 
labour  upon  one  part  of  the  moral  constitution,  until  all  its 
beauty  and  harmony  is  destroyed.  We  have  time  enough : 
let  us  do  with  our  might  what  our  hand  finds  to  do,  and  we 
need  not  fear.  We  shall  soon  be  called  from  our  work  and 
worship  on  earth,  to  our  reward ;  let  us  so  live  that  we  may 
be  prepared  to  join  with  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  per- 
fect, in  that  song  which  no  man  can  learn,  but  he  who  is  re- 
deemed from  the  earth  by  the  precious  blood  of  the  Son  of 
God. 


Art.  VI.  Review  of  Abbot's  Writings. 

By  Rev.  C.  D.  Pigeon,  Newburyport,  Mass. 

1.  The  Young  Christian  :  or  a  familiar  Illustration  of  the  Principles  of  Chris- 

tian Truth.     By  Jacob  Abbot.     1834. 

2.  The  Comer-Stone,  or  a  familiar  Illustration  of  the  Principles  of  Christian 

Truth.     By  Jacob  Abbot.     1834. 

We  cannot  but  think,  that,  in  the  present  age,  and  espe- 
cially in  our  owTn  country,  literary  effort  has  lost  its  most 
powerful  stimulus,  and  literary  encomiums  much  of  their 
influence  and  value,  by  the  profuse  and  indiscriminate  praise 
which  is  lavished  on  works  of  taste.  We  doubt  not  that  ge- 
nius is  as  common  in  this  country  as  in  any  other.  We  are 
not  credulous  enough  to  believe  that  the  human  mind  could 
have  lost  any  of  its  powers  in  crossing  the  Atlantic  or 
changing  its  latitude.     But  still,  when  its  slightest  efforts 


84  REVIEW  OF  ABBOT'S  WRITINGS.  [MARCH, 

here  are  so  richly  rewarded,  when  we  are  so  grossly  partial 
to  works  produced  in  our  own  country,  as  if  mediocrity 
were  wonderful  in  an  American,  and  flattery  a  sufficient  re- 
ward :  we  must  think  a  favour  so  easily  procured,  and  so 
indiscriminately  bestowed,  loses  most  of  its  value.  Doubt- 
less many  of  our  writers,  on  reading  the  fulsome  commen- 
dations of  their  productions,  are  compelled  to  blush,  less 
from  modesty  than  from  shame.  Add  to  this,  the  secret, 
enervating  influence  of  praise,  even  where  a  person  is  con- 
scious that  it  is  only  flattery — that  great  efforts  are  not  put 
forth  where  moderate  exertion  alone  is  sufficient  to  gain  ad- 
miration— that  true  genius  aims  at  excellence  writh  as  much 
intenseness  as  at  applause  ;  and  it  must  be  obvious,  that 
talents  suffer  less  from  neglect,  than  from  the  suffocating 
breath  of  popular  praise. 

With  wrhat  justice  the  palm  of  genius  has  been  awarded 
to  the  ancients,  we  would  not  attempt  to  determine :  of  one 
thing  we  feel  confident,  that  they  excelled  the  moderns  in 
industry,  vastly  more  than  in  genius.  In  the  ancient  and 
modern  systems  of  education  there  may  be  equal  care  to 
furnish  the  mind ;  but  they  scarcely  resemble  each  other  in 
the  comparative  severity  of  mental  discipline  imposed  by 
them.  By  the  ancients,  the  same  hardy  and  rigorous  disci- 
pline, which  gave  beauty  and  strength  to  the  body  in  their 
gymnastic  exercises,  was  employed  to  call  forth,  and  in- 
vigorate the  powers  of  the  mind.  Severe  exercises,  in- 
tended to  give  perfection  in  style  and  delivery,  commenced 
almost  with  infancy,  and,  in  some  of  their  most  accomplished 
writers,  ended  only  with  life. 

The  ancients  did  not  write  as  an  amusement,  or  on  the 
spur  of  necessity.  From  an  extensive  survey  of  the  works 
of  genius,  they  formed  a  model  of  ideal  perfection,  as  dis- 
tinct and  exact  as  that  which  guided  and  inspired  their  paint- 
ers. They  first  enquired,  w7hat  was  the  perfection  of  that 
species  of  composition  in  which  they  were  ambitious  to  ex- 
cel ;  what  was  fitted  to  it,  and  what  incongruous.  They 
then  collected  their  materials,  formed  their  plan,  bent  every 
power  to  the  work.  Every  thing  which  art,  learning,  indus- 
try, and  genius  could  supply,  wras  devoted  to  the  single  ob- 
ject of  bringing  their  work  to  the  model  of  ideal  excellence 
on  which  it  was  formed. 

The  moderns  have  certainly  depended  on  genius  alone, 
to  a  far  greater  extent  than  the  ancients.     They  have  often 


CONTENTS    OF    NO.    IX 


Art.  I.  An  Enquiry  respecting  the  Theological 
Origin  of  Perfectionism,  and  its  Corre- 
lative Branches  of  Fanaticism     ....     5 

By  Joseph  J.  Foot,  Cortland,  N.  Y. 

II.  American  Criticism  on  American  Litera- 
ture      33 

By  Edward  S.  Gould,  New- York. 

Ill    Franklin  and  his  (supposed)   Parable  on 

Persecution 51 

By  the  Editor  of  a  recent  epitome  of  Franklin's 
Memoirs. 

IV.  On  Religious  Ultraism 56 

By  D.  R.  Goodwin,  Professor  of  Modern   Lan- 
guages, Bowdoin  College,  Me. 

V.  Sacred  Music 66 

By  Rev.  John  A.  Albro,  Cambridge,  Mass. 

VI.  Review  of  Abbot's  Writings       ....     83 

By  Rev.  C.  D.  Pigeon,  Newburyport,  Mass. 

VII.  Living  on  God 98 

By  Rev.  Leonard  Withington,  Newbury,  Mass. 

VIII.  Review  of  Sermons  on  occasion  of  the 
Great  Fire 103 

By  Rev.  R.  W.  Dickinson,  New-York. 


CONTEXTS. 

IX.  Review  of  Channing  on  Slavery       .     .     121 

By  Enoch  Pond,  D.D,  Professor  Theological  Sem- 
inary, Bangor.  Me. 

X.  Christian  Union 140 

Bv  the  Editor. 

Literary  Notices 154 

Encyclopedia  of  Religious  Knowledge. 
The"  Puritan. 


Gaylord  Bros. 

Makers 

Syracuse,  N.  Y 

PAT.  JAN.  21:1908 


